


Obsidian

by LunaChi_KuroShihone



Series: Gemstones [9]
Category: Fate/Zero, Fate/stay night & Related Fandoms
Genre: F/M, Family, Father's Day, Frenemies, Funny, extra
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-19
Updated: 2016-06-19
Packaged: 2018-07-16 01:25:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7246612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LunaChi_KuroShihone/pseuds/LunaChi_KuroShihone
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A different reality, a different choice, a different fate:</p>
<p>Watch as the Knights of the Round are Summoned, their reactions and thoughts in These fleeting minutes. Short Chapter-Snippets as they look upon the Once and Future King, living not a life of bloodshed and betrayal, but of love and happiness.<br/>Watch as Saber meets friends of old, and tears are shed.</p>
<p>Each Chapter is Stand-Alone in a Parallel Universe, and each focuses on one of the Knights. They are roughly a little more than 1000 Words Long each.</p>
<p>Eight down; the fair Queen, Steward, the loyal friend, the best Knight, the White Knight, the Traitor Son, the True Hero of the Grail Quest, the Other True Hero of the Grail Quest and The-Father-who-is-not-one-of-the-Knights-but-an-Assassin!</p>
<p>Happy Father's Day!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Obsidian

Servant Assassin materialized out of the summoning circle, briefly wondering how he managed to land himself in such a situation. His works mostly were clean-ups, or larger scale disasters.

As far as he could tell, this was none such thing.

Well, it was a welcome deviation from his usual jobs, so he didn't complain.

Materialization complete, he turned his attention to his Master.  
…Masters? There were two presences in the room. They also felt kind of familiar —

" _O-otousan_!"

"Kiritsugu- !"

He stared into the surprised faces of his son and former Servant.

"Shirou…"

There was a surprised sound coming from Assassins throat as the redhead hugged him - Assassin staggering backwards by the force of said hug - and he had to wonder how his adopted son recognized him.

After all, his hair was white and his skin was tanned, and he wore something completely different than what he'd normally wear. A byproduct of using his magecraft over the years.

Shirou took his hands in his own, standing a feet away, giving Assassin enough room to breathe.

"I can't believe it! You're a Heroic Spirit! You're here! _Alive_! _Here_! Wait till Ilya hears about this-"

" _Ilya_?!" It was not entirely fair, Assassin mused, that his thoughts latched onto his daughter, even though Shirou deserved the attention. But his daughter, alive…

"Ilyasviel is currently away," Sabers voice filtered through, and Assassin noted duly that she wore a blue skirt of all things considered, "but she will arrive in a few days."

Assassin blinked. "I see… So she's alive…"

"Mhm," Shirou spoke up again, "we met during the fifth Grail War, where she tried to ah …dispatch me with Berserker. But!" He smiled, slightly strained. "Everything's fine now! We cleared a little misunderstanding on your part, and we're good. She even was the flower girl, so there's that."

"I see…" He really did.

But it also made it clear that this Shirou was not the Shirou he raised. Assassin had experienced his life as 'Kiritsugu Emiya' more times than once.  
The very first time, the time he made the contract with the world, he had not found Shirou, but instead tried to follow his twisted path of 'hero' further.

After that time, Assassin found himself repeating his life in different 'Groundhog Day Loops', where some aspects of his life were different — always sent out by Alaya to redo some anomaly, or by a sheer whim of the Will of Humanity.

More often than not, he regained his 'Memories' of adopting Shirou when he took the place of that world's self. Other times, he straight up adopted him after the fire.

Well, nonetheless he considered Shirou to be his son, so there was no real difference and—

Wait…

"Did you say 'Flower Girl'?"

Silence. Utter silence.

Shirou took a step back, smiling slightly, in a fashion that spelled _'Imsorrynotreallybutstillforgivemeyoullthinkthiswasprobablystupidbutidontsodontkillme'_

…yes, he got quite good at reading his children.

So while his son was silently pleading Assassin not to be angry, he took a step back, analyzing the situation.  
Flower girl. Meant wedding. Meant Shirou married (and he was astonished that he wasn't present for said marriage).

The question was to whom?

No, Assassin mused, that question was clear, as the bride — and his daughter in law — was standing a few feet away.

And he knew all at once that he won't be on a the woman's good side. At all.

"…" He looked directly at Saber.

"…" She looked back.

"…" Shirou stared at them, sighing, after which he muttered _'Not again.'_

"Could you two please get along?"

Two pairs of eyes glanced at the red haired magus. Assassin noted that there were strands of white in there, as well.

And as he looked at his son, Assassin thought that they really could try, for Shirou.

He was about to voice his thoughts, but Saber interrupted him.

"…there are still many things that I cannot and will not forgive you for, such as forcing Lancer to kill himself, or going after the other Masters like an, well, Assassin."

He snorted at that; had she not noticed his class?

"But-" her voice turned surprisingly softer, "-you used Avalon —which I, mind you, did not know you or Iri possessed — to save Shirou's life, for which I cannot express my gratitude. I have also learned from Ilya and Shirou; especially Shirou, what kind of a man you were after you took care of him."

Assassin blinked, surprised. Was this going into the direction he thought this was going?

"As such, I believe that we should put our… differences aside. Or at least try to." She grimaced at the end, the subject clearly uncomfortable for her.

Well, his turn.  
"I knew from the beginning of our war that we would probably be incompatible, since, as you said, an Assassin and a Knight don't work well, but if there was one thing I could agree upon, it would be that saving Shirou was the most fortunate that could have happened after the War." There was a dry chuckle, and he could practicably feel how uncomfortable his son was with the turn of topic. "So I guess we could agree to a …ceasefire, if you would so kindly inform me how it is _possible_ ," his voice turned sharper, all good humor gone, " _that a Servant is around without any established Grail to support them_. Because I doubt that any Tantric Ritual in the world would be able to sustain a Saber class."

He noted with a certain satisfaction that they turned red. That was revenge for not introducing him to his daughter in law formally.

Shirou spoke again, "Saber technically isn't a Servant anymore, but I'm sure Tohsaka could explain it better. "

Tohsaka? So Shirou worked together with the Second Owner?

…That was unimportant for now, Assassin decided. The more important question was the streak of white in Shirous hair, which reminded him uncannily of his own.

"Oh, that?" Shirou grimaced, "The same thing that happened to you apparently, old man, only at an earlier stage."

He grumbled, "I'm starting to look like Archer."

Kiritsugu frowned. "I doubt that your magic warrants something like that."

Both former Servant-now daughter in law and adopted son blinked. "I have a Reality Marble filled with Swords."

"Such things like common logic do not apply."

Assassin blinked, taken aback. "Reality Marble?!" His son had a Reality Marble? That rare magic whose users could be counted on hand?

He swallowed. If some mage was listening in, Shirou would be on the chopping block of the Association sooner than Assassin could say 'Time Alter.'

Time to steer the conversation away.

Assassin turned his 'dad-mode' on, throwing an arm around Saber and Shirou respectively.

Who stared at him, confused - and in Saber's case - wary.

"Anyways, Saber," Assassin shot his son a wry smile, "did you hear about that one time when Shirou was seven and saw that magical girl show? Prisma Miyu or something."

And as Saber raised her eyebrow in a silent 'go on' way, Assassin felt Shirous dread rise by the seconds. He grinned.

"Well, you see—"

"OLD MAN!"


End file.
